Released almost a full century ago, Pandora’s Box is one of my favorite silent films. It’s certainly one of the best choices for something that’s accessible, still looks gorgeous since its 1929 release, and showcases what silent movies could and can still do. Some of those qualities and stylistic choices were lost when silent cinema became the talkies, a fact that in and of itself is a good reason to watch and appreciate the silents today.
Pandora’s Box is a perfect introduction with a long, immersive story and atmosphere that can draw in anyone who just appreciates striking performances and a thrilling, almost epically structured melodramatic story.
The plot of Pandora’s Box can be summed up simply as a young woman’s misadventures with a bunch of guys who can’t keep their act together. Lulu (Louise Brooks with an iconic look and a breathtaking, vulnerable performance) isn’t some cruel femme fatale. She’s not trying to destroy a newspaper publisher, his son, or a circus performer (that’s not even every guy who falls in love with Lulu in this chaotic movie) through heartless manipulation. She’s just striking, charming, and relentlessly surprising. She wants everything life can give her and then some. It’s not hard to fall in love with someone this charming and seemingly powerful.
Pandora’s Box shows us Lulu’s story as one in which her uninhibited nature and decision to juggle so many lives and loves eventually brings tragedy to bear. She’s a monument to poor impulse control at times, and the people she’s with generally aren’t much better. Poor decisions eventually include murder, fleeing the police, and in the movie’s darkest moments Lulu turns to prostitution. It’s a fast ride up and a long, visually stunning ride to the bottom.
What happens to Lulu in Pandora’s Box is a journey powered by the fiery and boundless enthusiasm of youth. The result from director G.W. Pabst and particularly from cinematographer Günther Krampf an incredible blend of storytelling, style, and performances that do not sound to be memorable or brilliant. This is one of those silent films in which the specifics of the medium are deeply tied to why it’s so good. There’s nothing in sound that will give you the exact same watching experience you’ll get with Pandora’s Box.
To be sure, and this is a movie with a top-to-bottom great cast, there is no one in the history of film quite like Louise Brooks. On one level, she was a visual representation of the Jazz Age and flapper culture because of the fashions she embodied at the height of her career, most of all a bob style haircut that you can still find some people wearing today. On another level, she was an actress of range and nuance who could anchor a film as vast and frantic as Pandora’s Box. She was one of the best of the Silent Era, and it’s unfortunate that more people don’t appreciate those talents.
Want to open a Pandora’s box of movie history? MTSBYD has you covered.
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